Business today is fully dependant upon telecommunications, no matter what the size of the company, from a global multinational to an SME entrepreneur.
Indeed, telecoms has created a new way of doing business, as we see from the "dot.com" companies such as Amazon, today one of the world`s leading booksellers.
Two key factors have contributed to the growth of telecoms, and to the arrival of telecom driven companies: mobile communications and the Internet.
The demands of users of these networks are totally different from these provided by legacy networks, which were traditionally based on voice traffic with an average conversation time of 3 minutes, and recognized busy periods.
Today, calls may be short and sharp - a quick call from a mobile phone to the office, or a single e-mail; or can be several hours in duration as someone surfs the Internet. Or, as is increasingly common, customers are demanding full time connection for Internet usage.
A further need is for high speed data transfer, as witnessed by Internet surfer`s impatience with page download times of more than a few seconds.
These changes have driven operators to evolve to Next Generation Networks (NGN) and services.
NGN offers the capability of high call rate handling (thousands of calls per second) combined with direct routing of long duration high data rate calls via strategically located routers and servers.
Key to the NGN are the new service possibilities. Alcatel recently announced that it will further develop the delivery of advanced services over digital subscriber line (DSL) through a subsidiary of Aliant Inc., one of Canada`s leading research and innovation companies for broadband Internet-Protocol (IP) applications.
Aliant and Alcatel share the same vision of optimizing IP technology for service providers and customers by developing and delivering IP-based services such as video on demand and interactive TV that can be delivered over DSL. They are already working together to deliver an interactive TV service, known as VibeVision, to Aliant Telecom customers in Atlantic Canada.
DSL allows carriers to offer revenue-generating high-value services such as video on demand over their existing copper infrastructure. Aliant`s customers have enjoyed interactive television over ordinary copper telephone wires using ADSL for more than a year. The new agreement will enable Alcatel and Aliant to optimize the evolution of next generation broadband services at an accelerated pace to meet subscribers demands.
Whilst DSL provides broadband access over ordinary copper pairs, innovative broadband radio enables operators to quickly provide high capacity service over the airwaves to new & existing customers.
New operators have the opportunity to cherry - pick top customers without the need for extensive cable-laying, bringing new levels of service delivery to the competitive large user market.
Use of the technology is becoming increasingly widespread, as Alcatel continues to supply its industry leading local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) solution as an outstanding solution for incumbent carriers with international operations eager to capitalize on the significant business benefits offered by broadband wireless.
With unequalled speed and ease of deployment, the comprehensive Alcatel LMDS solutions offers service providers a fully controlled, multiservice broadband wireless network that can be deployed incrementally as demand increases. By minimizing up-front investment, LMDS enables service providers to quickly capture market share and begin to generate revenue, accelerating return on investment. Contributing to Alcatel`s leadership in the broadband access market - including DSL and DLC - Alcatel is currently the LMDS broadband wireless access market leader with more than 100 customers in commercial deployments. In addition to the access segment, Alcatel LMDS is also rapidly emerging as an ideal transmission solution for mobile backhauling applications.
Typically, Alcatel has been selected to provide LMDS solution to Mediterranean Broadband Access S.A. (MBA), a fixed wireless operator in Greece. A joint venture between Telecom Italia and major Greek Internet service provider FORTHnet, MBA will deploy a nationwide Alcatel LMDS network in the 26 GHz frequency. The project, to be completed over the next three years, is estimated at 25 million Euro and will be deployed in major cities across the country.
MBA will use its Alcatel LMDS network to deliver high speed Internet access, leased line, frame relay and voice over Internet Protocol services to small and medium sized enterprises. Under terms of the contract, Alcatel will supply MBA with a turnkey solution including LMDS, point-to-point microwave links, network and service management, radio network planning, site acquisition, installation and commissioning, project management, maintenance and technical support.
"MBA was looking for a supplier that would provide not only a superior technical solution but also the implementation support we need to meet our business objectives. Alcatel`s unparalleled experience in designing and delivering LMDS networks made them the clear choice," said Nektarios Kokkovas, technical director, FORTHnet. "With Alcatel LMDS we are able to quickly roll-out our network and begin delivering the revenue generating services customers are looking for."
"In every business it`s the bottom line that counts. MBA is a good example of how a new operator can quickly use the speed and flexibility LMDS offers to turn a good business plan into good business," said Jean David Calvet, executive vice president, Fixed Wireless, Alcatel. "Alcatel continues to increase its foothold in the growing fixed wireless market by giving customers what they really want: competitively priced, high-quality gear that helps them deliver profitable broadband services to their customers."
Currently being tested in customer networks, market leading enhancements to the Alcatel LMDS solution include :
- Superior end-to-end network and service management via the Alcatel 5620 Network Manager, enabling service providers to seamlessly manage core, edge and access portions of their networks, in a single step.
- Expanded portfolio allowing service providers to capitalize on the lucrative multi-tenant building market to deliver digital subscriber line (DSL). DSL modems are connected to the LMDS Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) within the building through existing copper wiring.
- Increased spectrum efficiency with cross-polarization radio for geographic regions with large spectrum bandwidth, including the United States and parts of Latin America.
- Enhanced dynamic bandwidth allocation for multiple traffic types to maximise the gains of statistical multiplexing for bursty data traffic, enabling service providers increase network efficiency and meet demand by distributing unused bandwidth to other users.
According to Wessie van der Westhuizen, Managing Director of Alcatel Altech Telecoms (AAT) in South Africa, Alcatel equipment currently supports several million subscribers in SA. "Penetration of digital networks in this country is very high, giving an excellent quality of service".
"We expect that this will form a strong foundation for network growth towards broadband & NGN over the next few years" he said "as DSL technology reaches customers over copper wires. We have seen overseas that growth in this market is phenomenal. Typically customers could have simultaneously, television (interactive video, live or delayed broadcast channels), full time Internet, and a telephone line - something for everyone in the family!"
"Alcatel - Architects of an Internet World` is the phrase adopted to show the innovative market leadership shown by Alcatel in telecoms" he continued "we are pleased to have a long term partnership with Alcatel which has enabled AAT to help the South African economy thrive & stay in touch".
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